The Catholic University of America, private coeducational institution of higher learning in Washington, D.C., U.S. The university is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. It comprises 12 faculties or schools, including the Columbus School of Law, the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, and the National Catholic School of Social Service. The university offers an undergraduate curriculum in engineering, architecture, religion, and liberal arts and sciences. Master’s and doctoral degree programs are also available in these areas and in three interdisciplinary programs: early Christian, medieval, and Byzantine studies. Research facilities include the Vitreous State Laboratory and the Life Cycle Institute. Total enrollment is about 7,000.

Campus of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

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Catholic University was incorporated in 1887. It is the national university of the Roman Catholic Church and the first institution of higher education established by Catholic bishops in the United States. When instruction began in 1889, the university offered only graduate courses; undergraduate classes began in 1904. Noteworthy alumni include chemist Julius Nieuwland and Patrick Cardinal Hayes, archbishop of New York.

...is the oldest of the city’s academic institutions. The George Washington University, which was founded in 1821 as Columbian College, has a city campus that offers a diversified curriculum. The Catholic University of America was opened in 1889 and made Washington a centre for Catholic education; however, it accepts students of all faiths. Howard University was chartered in 1867 as an...

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The only university in the United States to be chartered by the Vatican is the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States decided in 1884 to establish the university, and Pope Leo XIII granted formal approval in 1887. The institution began as a graduate school in 1889 and added undergraduate programs in 1904. Total enrollment consists of several thousand students. The university welcomes students of all faiths, but the majority of students are Roman Catholic.